Archives for November 13, 2001

‘Van Pelt is a super guy, beloved by his teammates and better-versed in the no-huddle offense than Johnson. Unfortunately, he is neither strong-armed nor mobile. Van Pelt is a backup and doesn’t seriously aspire otherwise, which makes him perfect for his position. Oh, he relishes this opportunity . After all, since going to camp with the Steelers back in 1993, the 31-year-old Van Pelt has started exactly three NFL games, all in Buffalo’s nightmarish 1997 season when guys named Todd Collins and Billy Joe Hobert were his competition. Now, if he can stay healthy, Van Pelt will get a month’s worth of starts. But what makes him different is that even if he plays lights-out, the former University of Pittsburgh star wouldn’t expect to take Johnson’s job. That’s why Doug Flutie and Johnson couldn’t co-exist, salary cap issues aside, while Van Pelt is perfect for that role.’

Antowain Smith, RB, New England: Rushed 20 times for 100 yards and two touchdowns, giving him 350 rushing yards in the past four games.

In a defensive battle that featured 12 combined sacks, the Pats persevered despite their problems in the passing game. Brady hit a high percentage of passes but threw for only 107 yards and was pestered all game by the Bills’ pass rush. The Bills tightened it up to 14-11 with a Moulds TD grab with 2:43 to play, but the Patriots put it away when Smith broke free for a 42-yard scoring run on the first play after the two-minute warning to seal the victory.

"Last week, I think what I said &#8230; was that when we made the decision with Rob, it was a decision we were not making for 8 games, or 16 games, or whatever. We felt we were making a decision for the future. I also said we evaluate every player on this roster, and I’ll be evaluated this last 8 games, as will the coaches and the players. There’s a lot at stake here, and we can’t feel that despite our record, the rest of our season we can go through the motions. If people are going through the motions, they’re not going to be here. That’s one thing I can assure you of."

"One of those things that I will explain to you [about his injury] right up front of why he wasn’t able to talk last night, it’s more than just that," Williams added. "He found out late Friday night that his grandfather passed away, his dad’s father, and he already had plans as soon as the ballgame was over to get him on out there and go to the funeral, and it’s important as a family to do that."

"Defensively, right there, they fought and got us back into it when we didn’t get the onside kick, which we had scripted and we discussed it the night before what we would do in that position. By working hard to strip it to get another chance and we end up having several missed tackles at the end when they break out for the score."

Is anyone really surprised about Bills QB Rob Johnson being out 4 weeks with a broken clavicle? I hate to beat a dead horse, or in this case, a half-dead quarterback. But Johnson’s style of play leads to sacks, which leads to injuries.

‘Team President and General Manager Tom Donahoe said there is no immediate plan to sign someone to be the third quarterback. Donahoe indicated the Bills might consider rookie practice squad player David Dinkins for the No. 3 role. Dinkins played quarterback at Morehead State and got work at there in training camp. He currently works as a scout team running back in practice.’

‘He holds the ball too long. He doesn’t make quick reads. He loses. And he keeps getting hurt. That’s the unpardonable sin, his inability to remain healthy. Avoiding injury is a skill, and he doesn’t have it. The surprise isn’t that Johnson suffered a major injury, it’s that it didn’t happen sooner.’

‘The Bills face nearly impossible odds of selling out Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks. The team still has about 15,000 tickets remaining. Former quarterback Jim Kelly will be enshrined on the Bills’ Wall of Fame during a halftime ceremony.’

‘"I didn’t get a chance to talk to him before he left (following the 21-11 road loss to the New England Patriots), but I’m sure he is devastated by the fact he’s been injured again. I’m sure the critics are going to say, ‘See, I told you so.’ But once he recovers from this — and I’m told by our doctors he will recover completely — Rob will be our quarterback. We’ll be supporting him."’

‘Determining whether to extend Johnson’s contract or cut him now becomes more complicated, team president Tom Donahoe said on Monday. "Obviously it makes your decision different because we would like to have him out there especially now that we have some offensive linemen that we think can play and play effectively," Donahoe said. "We’re at the halfway point of the season, and to say that somebody is or isn’t coming back, I’m not prepared to do that right now."’